Washington: Ferries Install Bins for Used Needles

From CDC National Prevention Information Network

April 18, 2003

To reduce the risk of hepatitis and HIV, there are now
disposal containers in all public restrooms aboard Washington
state's 29 ferries, which transport more than 68,000 passengers
daily. The red plastic containers, stamped with the biohazard
symbol, are the same type used by hospitals, clinics and
diabetics. Dennis Conklin, a spokesperson for the Inlandboatmen's
Union of the Pacific, which represents 1,000 ferry workers, said
the union began lobbying for the containers about five years ago.
"These workers are expected to dispose of garbage, clean
restrooms and empty Sani-Cans," said Conklin. "This is a way to
protect them." Each year in the United States, 800,000 people are
pricked by used needles, with most of the injuries occurring in
hospitals and medical settings, according to studies. "People
come aboard and actually go right to the [trash cans] to get the
newspapers," said Shane Thrasher, a deckhand on the Mukilteo-Clinton run. "They don't always realize the hazard."

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